The prodigal son in Jesus’ parable jumped at the chance to live free from the rules of his father; his pride fueled his decision. He survived for a while by his own giftedness and survival skills, but his foolish choices perpetuated a tug of war between pride and humility. Pride won temporarily. With his heart […]

Do you have a family heirloom passed down from one generation to the next? On his deathbed, my great-great grandfather passed down his wedding ring to his sixteen year-old grandson, my grandfather, who passed it down to me with the same message he had received: “Keep it, and pass it on to future generations.” When […]

Do you ever doubt your value? In 1985, I sold a restored, one-of-a-kind Duesenberg to Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza and owner of the world champion Detroit Tigers. He took delivery of his prized possession at home plate in Tiger Stadium. It was the first car to sell for a documented $1 million cash, […]

Where do you turn to satisfy your desires? As a teenager I traveled to the nation’s premier collector car auction in the middle of the oil patch during its boom of the early 1980’s. The clientele reflected that newfound wealth. I attended a party to celebrate the annual auction where gold Rolexes glittered in abundance […]

As I called my first auction, my voice cut through the public address system, echoing into the air. On the block was an old curio cabinet. “One hundred dollars. Now one-fifty.” Hundreds of bidders watched as Grandpa Russell shouted to stop me from dropping the hammer at too low of a price, “Wait, Mitchell! Is […]

Are you a leader of leaders or a leader of followers? Solomon revealed the secret to leading leaders: “One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend” (Proverbs 22:11). A pure heart has no mixed motives. It’s a picture of the impurities being removed in the […]

At nine years old, I stood in my Dad’s office supply room in the half-light, in my mind risking eternal salvation for a shiny metal box to hold my rock collection. In the days after I stole the box, I tried to justify my actions. I’ll never forget the dichotomy of my parents’ response during […]

When challenged about rules, regulations,and stipulations, Jesus answered with this word picture: “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine […]